Longinus Niu
Longinus "Red King" Niu is the current King of Dressrosa. She married into the Royal Family, after winning a gladiator match to determine who would win the eldest princess' hand in marriage, being the only woman who participated during said match. Over two decades following her victory and marriage into the Royal Family, Niu took charge of Dressrosa as the main ruling body, reshaping it figuratively and literally. Under her thumb, Dressrosa has expanded into smaller islands, with their own colosseum, extending its infamy as a Kingdom of Gladiators and Bloodsports, attracting many visitors, and even setting up a slave trade. Niu is also known for her rather promiscuous nature, bearing many children, each from a different man, as well as possessing a very strict set of ideals, the "strong control the weak", the importance of royal blood, and the value of raising her sons and daughters into set roles with a pre-determined future. Appearance Niu, having married into the Royal Family of Dressrosa, and being the King, is the one whom is seen the most in public events, as such, she makes sure to always look presentable when needed. In terms of physique, she possessed a slender figured, with barely any notable muscle on her, standing tall with an average sized bust, and hips. In terms of hair and eyes, Niu has short dark hair, but with age also got signs of tips turning grey or white, despite only being in her mid-fourties. Her banged are always extended forth to cover the right half of her face, hiding the gruesome sight of her empty eye socket, and the heavy scarring, although she wears a black mask to cover the scars, even if some manage to creep through. Her eyes are an orange, almost golden color, with black pupils. Niu's eyes in particular are noted for always having the same uncaring, nochalant stare that has barely changed in decades, notable particulary by her children who grew up with those eyes staring at them. In terms of attire, Niu primarily wears a combination of red and dark clothing, with a mixture of golden decorations. She wears a long, dark red dress, with an overly long sleeve hiding her left arm, with golden decoration across it, extending over to her chest and the dress collar. The right side of the dress is open, allowing her right arm to be let out freely, up to its shoulder, but wears a black gloves on it that reaches to her elbow. The dress is split from her right hip, exposing her leg, but keeping it together with two ornaments pushing against her leg, as well as an accessory with blue fathers with purple tips hanging on her hip. Finally, under her dress she wears black leggings and high-heels, as well as having a single earring in the shape of a black crystal on her right ear. As aforementioned, Niu possesses a variety of scars across her body, from the match that determined who would marry the eldest princess. She won, but not without consequences. Among her more vicious scars is Niu's left arm, which has been burnt and scarred, lacking any nails, with the skin being either charred red or just lacking any flesh that has't grown back in years, making it common to call it a "zombie's arm". The left side of her face also suffered some injuries, mainly losing her left eye, which she claimed was only "punctured", before she herself got rid of it becaue the flowing blood was a nuisance, as well as scars surrounding the empty eye socket, signs from a blade. In respects to other scars, Niu has a sword gash on her right hip, which has closed and left a mark, she is missing two smallest right toes, and has a bullet-wound on her chest, right under her collar bone that she miraculously survived. Despite these quite horrendous scars, Niu does make an effort to hide them with her attire. Personality History The past of the woman known as Longinus Niu remains, for the majority of people, a mystery. The few who know of Niu's past fully are those who were the closest to her the longest, her bride, the Queen, and her eldest son, Longinus Judas. Born in the New World, her earliest memory included her true name that she hasn't never found use for, as well as being an orphan in the poverty half of a small island known an "Khezi Island", while the other half was inhabited purely by the rich and nobility. Niu was scorned and looked down upon by the other children and adults because of her off-putting personality, such as choosing to survive independently, and born with such an unhinged and murderous will that some people would potentially fear for their lives. No one ever tried to test her. As she grew older, Niu became seen as an authority figure on the poverty half of the island, her growing charisma and iron will only cementing this further. The only one who would defy her was the man who would become her mentor, whose name she never learned, while he gave her the name "Longinus Niu". Over the course of over ten years, Niu learned Longinus Style from the elder, managing to coax him to teach her after defeating her in single combat, shattering her world with her first and most humiliating defeat. The only thing she could use to "pay" him for his training was herself. At some point, Niu killed her mentor in their rematch that took place after her training was complete. Niu notes that the typical training period for mastering Longinus Style was 30 years, but she mastered it in approximately one decade. She is still unsure if it was because of her own talent, hard work and determination, or because her mentor was simply a good teacher. Following this, Niu's confidence and goals began to skyrocket, best exemplified in her decision to attack the rich half of Khezi, in a battle to test her newfound fighting prowess against other foes. The battle resulted in the line between the rich and the poor being blurred, bringing about chaos for the rich, but prosperity and new chances for the poor, but it was a spectacular civil war all the same. Niu became remembered as a "liberator" for the poor, while the rich saw her as a "monster". Khezi Island's current state is unclear, as Niu left soon after by taking a boat off the island, and never returned. She explored the seas on a single boat, not doing anything significant, planning and waiting patiently to complete her goals and achieve her dream. Eventually, Niu caught wind of a special match held at the Kingdom of Dressrosa, a match to determine who would have the eldest princess' hand-in-marriage, as well as a Devil Fruit. She somehow managed to arrive to Dressrosa on time, participating in the fated match that took away her left eye, and nearly her left arm, as well as a variety of scars that nearly crippled her. People note she was outmatched by a few of the gladiators, but miraculously won thanks to her tenacity and determination, even frightening some of the gladiators with her refusal to give up, even as she could only use one arm and was left with one eye. Eventually, she won, leaving behind no survivors, in an expression of her strong ambitions, that bordered on madness. Bloodied, scarred and nearly crippled, Niu climbed to the eldest princess, her promised reward for victory, using both arms, devouring the fruit on the spot after greeting the princess, properly introducing herself. According to the Queen, rather than be horrified, she was charmed by Niu's monstrous fighting prowess and found her strangely charismatic. Niu married the princess the next day, despite protest by doctors due to her injuries needing time to heal. Longinus Niu has ruled Dressrosa for thirty years, became King in her 20's, and gave birth to a total of eight children, six sons and two daughters, but not from the same man, using the excuse of her wife being a woman to justify her affairs with multiple men whom she chose to bear children with. She improved Dressrosa's economy in various means, among which are the creation of the eight small islands around the main land, where more colosseum matches are held, attracting greater attention throughout the sea, as well as the discovery and use of Orichalcum, a special metal exclusively created on the island of Punk Hazard. Powers & Abilities As the King of Dressrosa, the woman known as Longinus Niu has the highest single point of authority in all of her kingdom, allowing her to overrule just about anyone, including her son, Longinus Spriggan, the General of the Royal Army, as well as any major decisions made by other members of Dressrosa's society, such as the Colosseum Masters. She is the essential lynchpin of all of Dressrosa, assuring her existence as the King is a necessity, that without her, Dressrosa would collapse. Physical Prowess Despite her slender build, and lack of any notable muscle, Niu exhibits a shocking degree of superhuman capabilities, from her strength to her speed, and her vitality and stamina. Her scars seem to have barely affected her performance, and she herself expresses that she improved from when she first fought in the colosseum. On top of that, Niu is an excellent martial artist, mastering the fighting style known as "Longinus Style" (ロンジアス型, Ronginasu-kata) at a young age, and so far being the only known practitioner of said style. Niu possesses extraodinary strength that allows her to tear through armor with her bare hands, reduce bones to dust, and, with masterful control over her strength, body and balance, rip apart structures and body aparts with little build, and with enough precision to force little shock and teetering on the rest of the body. Her strength is focused on attacks and force, rather than lifting strength, as she would sooner break the boulder, rather than carry it. Notably, Niu has the unfortunate side-effects of the intensity of her attacks ripping apart her clothing, particulary her sleeves and leggings, which would explain her refusal to wear any armor, as it would both limit her movement, and be destroyed by her strength either way. However, befitting her figure, Niu is an athletic and quick-on-her-feet fighter, benifitting further from her Kenbunshoku Haki as a result, since her speed allows her to take full advantage of its precognitive abilities. Her attacks can be fast enough to become invisible to the naked eye, leaving no wind pressure behind to indicate it even happened, suggesting precision and controlled momentum behind her attacks. Ever since she first participated in the match for the eldest princess' hand in marriage, Niu has exhibited monstrous endurance and stamina. In a match against tens of Gladiators, she was the last one standing, with the rest either killed or incapacitated, the same match where she lost her left eye, recieved her infamous "zombie arm", as well as other near-crippling scars that have not healed to this day. Said scars seem to have done little to actually impeach on her growth, as years later, Niu had a special match against a 100 gladiators, of which she won in a brutal display of her full power, and was reportedly unscathed and unhinged after defeating her hundreds of enemies. No level of damage on her person seems to make her flinch, or get in the way of her performance. Longinus Style Niu is a practitioner and master of the''' "Longinus Style" (ロンジアス型, Ronginasu-kata), a superhuman martial arts that utilizes her limbs as "spears", piercing through the bodies of humans, and through armor, without the assistance of the likes of Busohsoku Haki, or even a Devil Fruit. With her arms and legs, or just her hands and feet, Niu focuses on thrusting motions, done at extreme speeds and with enormous strength, to pierce through her target, like the sharp tip of a spear, or strike with an open palm and a regular kick, causing air pressure, resulting powerful shockwaves that vibrate throughout the target's body, in doing so, she inflicts internal damage, or even internal bleeding. However, she isn't limited to just this method of attack. Initially, it was so, but after decades of training, Niu improved upon the original, allowing a greater variety of techniques and more range and versatility in how she executes her attacks. With a swing of her arms, or a kick, Niu slices her target as if her body were made of blades, when in reality it utilizes the same machinations of the original Longinus Style, often without the assistance of Busoshoku Haki. Niu also uses air pressure with her arm and leg swings to send slashes of air pressure, often imbued with Busoshoku Haki, for long-ranged attacks. This is incredibly similar Rankyaku, but Niu wasn't aware of the existence of Rokushiki during the longest time, making this purely coincidental. The same applies for Longinus Style's original use, being comparable tp Shigan, albeit using the entire limb, rather than just the finger. Longinus Style isn't exclusively offensive, however, as Niu did develop a variety of original techniques on her own, some of which are defensive or supplementary. Finally, the Longinus Style techniques lack any naming scheme, or any naming to begin with, instead being numbered, beginning with Longinus Style: One. Devil Fruit Main Article: Muki Muki no Mi Alongside the eldest princess' hand in marriage, Niu also won a Devil Fruit, the '''Muki Muki no Mi, a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit that allows Niu control over directions without the need for physical contact, although it is more comparable to telekinetic control over directions or vectors. Having eaten the fruit almost 30 years ago, Niu had plenty of time to train, and eventually master her fruit's power, integrating it into her fighting style as well. Initially, Niu could only move things in four directions, front, back, left and right. However, as she trained further, Niu soon realized she had a greater range than she initially thought, and in the span of a year, began to utilize her fruit's power to raise the seafloor upwards, and with careful manipulation of the directions, create eight small islands in the span of around five years. After almost three decades, Niu's usage of the Muki Muki no Mi's directional manipulation becomes more comparable to telekinesis, controlling things with her mind, albeit it is still more limited, since she can only move things in direct lines, and cannot stray from a straight line. In addition, she cannot affect sentient organism, blood, flesh or bones, sans her own body, unless she were to come into direct contact with someone. However, Niu has conditioned herself to not wholly rely on the Muki Muki no Mi, preferring to do things with her own power, but still uses it as aid occasionally. In battle, the power to control directions proves useful when an enemy dodges an attack, as Niu can change the direction of her attack, and add momentum to it, mid-attack, hitting the enemy after they dodge, as well as increase the power of an attack by boosting its momentum. It also allows for environmental control, raising the ground or stone, and even granting herself flight, albeit limited, as she is still limited by the "straight line" directional limit. Weaponry are also an option, lunging them forward towards her attack, however, it is most useful against weaponry users, as she can easily redirect a sword swing to the right, dodging her completely without even moving herself, and pushing one's armor against their body, limiting movement, if not crushing them completely. Niu can reduce most attacks null by simply redirecting them away from her, which proves most effective against other fruit users, especially those of the Logia-type. Physical attacks aside, the elements projected by the Logia are affected by the Muki Muki no Mi, allowing her to completely flatten or send the attacks away from her person, without the need for much movement on her part. Awakening Haki Alongside Longinus Style, Niu's mentor taught her about Haki, Busoshoku and Kenbunshoku, which proved essential to her fighting style and overall performance. As something that is arguably a must in order to survive in the New World, Niu learned and soon came to master both styles of Haki, albeit with greater focus on Kenbunshoku Haki in comparison to her Busoshoku Haki. Busoshoku Haki Busoshoku Haki uses one's spirit to create an invisible armor around Niu's body, in a similar vein to Tekkai, however, unlike Tekkai, Niu is still capable of movement, and it isn't reliant on her physical strength, but rather, her willpower, and can cover only one limb, rather than the entire body. Typically, Busoshoku is used to increase the damage of physical attacks, coating one's limb or weapon, before impact is made, as well as defending her from what would otherwise cause her harm, but significant force can still break through the armor. Niu can use a greater concentration of Busoshoku Haki on her body, hardening it and turning black, effectively creating an extra layer of armoured skin. It bolstered greater physical force behind each impact, as well as stronger defenses. The most unique, and useful utility of Busoshoku is its ability to allow one to force a Devil Fruit user's body into a corporeal form, if their body has been altered by their power, in particular the Logia-type Devil Fruit. It does not negate the powers of a fruit user, however, but still grants an invaluable advantage against them. Among the most useful application of Busoshoku Haki that double as both defensive and offensive, is the "Full-Body Armor", one the greater signs of one's mastery over it. Doing so coats Niu's entire body in the black armor, leaving supposedly "no weak points" on her person. It exhausts her "spirit" at a greater rate, making it rather risky for prolonged use. What makes Niu stand out in comparison to most users of Busoshoku Haki, is how she employs it with Longinus Style, one of her "signature techniques". Using her spirit and imposing it onto the air, Niu "grips" it, and coats it with Busoshoku Haki, to the point one can vaguely make out the shape of a spear, one that Niu soon throws, piercing through her target. These "haki spears" last as long as Niu holds them, but after throwing them, they can soon dissipate into nothing, thus are thrown at incredible speeds to hit their target over long ranges, before that happens. Since Niu needs to physically "grip the air", she can only have two at a time, and no more, but is capable of reforming a new one for herself soon after having one thrown. The drawback of using Busoshoku Haki, however, is the fact once she depletes her "spirit", she is incapable of using any Haki until she recovers, something which can take a few minutes. Due to this, Niu usually limits herself to one Haki at a time, to avoid depleting it to soon, and rendering a good chunk of her fighting style null for a good while. Kenbunshoku Haki A form of Haki that allows Niu to sense the presence of others, anticipating and predicting their movement, even when out of view. It is a purely supportive type of Haki, with no possible offensive applications known. Niu mastered Kenbunshoku Haki further after her match and losing her left eye, in order to make up for basically losing half of her vision. Appearing as almost precognitive sight, Niu can "see" and predict what her enemy will do, and if it is an attack, see what sort of damage will be inflicted onto her if she were to be hit, thus can prepare and dodge an attack, sometimes before her enemy even executes their attacks, granting an upper hand against opponents. Notably, Niu has an easier time predicting, and sensing the presence of a single enemy, in comparison to a group of enemies, requiring greater focus and range of influence, but higher levels of killing intent can override this, making attacks much more obvious, and sensed from farther away. Kenbunshoku Haki essentially makes Niu untouchable, as long as she can predict attacks, and act upon said predictions, which marks an obvious weakness of when an attack is unpredictable, something which isn't achieved often, but when employed, forces Niu to rely on her other senses, beyond simple Kenbunshoku Haki. In addition, even with Kenbunshoku Haki allowing Niu to sense the presence of others, her eye is still missing, and Haki is not always active, which can be taken advantage of when her guard is down. Haoshoku Haki Niu is a woman with an unknown heritage, but confirmed to not possess any ties to any royal or noble families, never once in her family line had an ancestor been such a thing. She was born a no one who possessed ambitions and goals, to the extreme that she became off-putting towards the majority, but also admirable by few for her tenacity. Niu's end goal was to make herself an unforgettable piece of history, someone who people will remember for years to come, until her kingdom is no more. But, she also had the intent of leaving behind a legacy as well, in the form of her achievements to revolutionize and reshape the world, and by leaving beind a worthy heir to succeed her after her body inevitably gives in one day. The instant the possibility to become King presented itself, Niu was ready to go as far as possible to achieve the first step in her dream. The day Niu awakened Haoshoku Haki, was the destined match where she competed to marry the eldest princess, to become King. Her desire reached its peak, what she was looking for, the first great step in her dreams, was at her fingertips, and she was facing obstacles blocking her path, gladiators who were equal to her, or outmatched her in combat and strength. And yet, Niu did not falter or stop, even when two blades took out her left eye, blinding her for life, when fire scorched her left arm, leaving it almost impossible to move without excruciating pain. The other competitors felt unnerved, if not outright fearful, by her unchanging expression, tone and mannerism, despite her horrid injuries. She forced her body to move, and as she bled, began to even command the other gladiators, ordering them to yield lest they wish to suffer a hundred times more than what her body did. There was no grandiose roar, no great, bombastic battle cry, or a rage-breaking point. It was the perfect embodiment of Niu and her dominating personality; it was like a breeze, ever-so calm, that would go unnoticed if it were any other breeze, but its "presence" set it apart, its larger than life, overwhelming figure that was more akin to a living "force", where mere words felt like a heavy hand pushing down against their bodies, refusing to let up, where resistance was null against it. The gladiators who previously stood and outmatched Niu, fell to the ground, their eyes blanked, fuming from their mouths, some even letting out a shriek before losing consciousness. It was Niu's belief and desires, her unhinged will that solidifed into what she now holds as the highest idea she follows; the strong control the weak, be it via their own raw skill or their commanding authority, and that the peasant bows to the King not because of hierarchy or superiority, but because it is a natural law of the world. Following her marriage, and years after becoming the King of Dressrosa, Niu became seen less and less as a "human" who seats on a throne inside a castle, ruling over a country, and more just a "King", seen as a living force rather than flesh and blood. Not exactly divine or God-like, but not something that's exactly human either, who never allows herself to falter from what a King should be when in public, never once allowing the title to be sullied by mistakes or leniency. Ever since her victory, people began attributing the sudden falling of the gladiators to various possible theories, some calling it divine intervention in the Future King's favor, that it was destiny, but the majority began to attribute it as the "King's presence". Those who stand before the King with disrespect or malicious intent, defiance or heresy, suffer the misfortune of forcing the King's hand to command them, finding it impossible to maintain their former position, becoming to feel overwhelmed until they eventually lose consciousness, much like the gladiators of that match. One of the most infamous examples in the history of Dressrosa was during the Day of Red, where Niu faced off against 100 Gladiators, and the King's first move downed her foes from a 100 to 61, the audience itself fainting, and her children who were there, suffered as well, albeit not all of them. The few who managed to stay standing and resist are people who have expressed strong wills of their own, be it criminals, slaves, or other Kings like her, anyone could possess exceptional willpower of their own. The opposite is also true, as other Kings and powerful pirates can possess surprisingly weak wills, making them suffer a humiliating loss in the form of losing consciousness before Niu. However, the civilians attribute that to the "King's mercy", people who she expressed interest in, as false as that may be. It is associated with her children the most, as the majority of them have never showcased loss of consciousness against the King. In reality, this "force", the breeze that brought down the gladiators that outmatched Niu not moments ago, the "King's presence", is a form of Haki known to be something no one can learn or acquire through a life-time of training, but something that is born into those destined to be something greater, to be "Kings", those embodying the very qualities and qualifications to be called such. Only few in the millions, billions of lives in the world are known to actually have Haoshoku Haki, and Niu is among those few, appropriately awakened on the day she would fight to become King, when the only thing standing in her way being a few gladiators. She was always aware of its existence, as told by her mentor who claimed to have encountered it, but due to lacking guidance from someone who possesses this Haki, Niu imrpoved upon her use of Haoshoku Haki independently, eventually using it not for offense or power, but to control and prove her dominance and authority. Haoshoku Haki is not something meant to be used in the heat of battle when facing a powerful foe. It isn't something to whip out as a secret technique to shift the tides of battle when nothing else works. Rather, Haoshoku Haki is something that is meant to making the idea of a "King" clear to the "peasants", as Niu puts it. Whenever she uses it, it is against rowdy and troublesome subjects who go against her, and Haoshoku is a peaceful, non-violent way to stop conflict, avoiding a needless, pointless battle in the process. When facing a foe who possesses an army, culling the numbers of the enemy's footsoldiers in an instant is very possible with Haoshoku, making a battle go in her favor, if not ending a battle in that very instant, depending on how many people have been knocked out. In a clash between another Haoshoku Haki, potentially cataclysmic results can follow, such as both friend and foe being afflicted and losing consciousness, powerful shockwaves blasting the onlookers away, with no ill will between the two combatants. Appropriately, while Haoshoku can be used to dominate and conquer the wills of man and beast, knocking them out, it has the additional effect of taming beasts whose wills Niu has conquered. This turns them docile, into loyal soldiers who would fight to the death for Niu, whether she orders it or not. Like pets, they follow commands dutifully and gladly, but do not expect a reward for their good and loyal behavior, being satisfied with just doing as they're told. This proves the most advantageous to Niu, due to the colosseum beasts in Dressrosa and its eight islands, effectively increasing the size of Dressrosa's army by a greater margin, but one who would only follow her orders. The beasts, some of whom have lived in the colosseums for Niu's entire career, come in many shapes and sizes, including the familiar Fighting Fish of the Corrida II's water. This isn't exclusive to the lands and soil, however, as even when atop the highest tower of her castle, a light breeze will moves through the sea, only felt lightly by the enemy ship vessels, but with an odd feeling that something is incredibly wrong. The calm waters of Dressrosa begin to quake as the waves pick up, pushing the ships away, and from these vicious waves come the armies of sea creatures, of every shape and size imaginable, beginning to gnaw on the bottoms of ships, physically tackling them, toppling them over even with their size and power, reducing a a small fleet into a graveyard of ships, as the waves carry them far from Dressrosa, and the fish feast on the crew members as their reward, returning near the Dressrosa waters, where a King willing to subdue nature itself to protect her people seats, possibly anticipating, even daring, more to try and come to her country with malicious intent. Trivia *Niu's surname, Longinus, is a reference to the spear that was used by a Roman soldier to stab Jesus Christ during his crucifixion. 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